I spent a decade invisible to the man I could never forget.

John Decker—my brother's best friend—looked right through me at every holiday dinner.

Then he walked into my library needing access to archives only I could grant.

When my brother asked me to play his fake girlfriend at a business dinner, I told myself it was a favor. One evening of pretending his hand on my back meant something. One night of looking at him the way I'd always wanted to.

But fake doesn't explain why he told me secrets he'd never told anyone—not even Marcus. And it definitely doesn't explain what happened when he walked me to my door and asked to come inside.

Twelve years of wanting in silence. Three weeks of late nights and slow burns. One question I'm finally brave enough to ask out loud.

What happens when the man who never noticed you decides he can't look away?

"Blueprints and Bookshelves"

by Molly Tegan